The National Assembly of Quebec adopts a bill making the oath of allegiance to King Charles III optional, making only the oath of allegiance to the people of Quebec mandatory for admission to the assembly.
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The Canadian National Assembly makes the oath of allegiance to King Charles III optional
On Friday, Quebec’s National Assembly adopted a bill that would make the oath of allegiance to Canada’s head of state King Charles III optional after the measure had been under discussion for several weeks.
Henceforth, only the oath of allegiance to the people of Quebec is required for admission to the Assembly.
Quebec party leader Paul Saint-Pierre Plamondon wrote on Twitter: “This is a great moment for democracy in Quebec. Thanks to everyone who has supported us in our effort.”
✅️ We have signed the oath register, which confirms that we will be able to sit down, with only our oath to the people of Quebec.
A source of pride for us, but above all an important moment for Quebec! I thank the other parties for cooperating.
See you on January 31st. pic.twitter.com/EqUdsWyFTJ
— Paul St-Pierre Plamondon (@PaulPlamondon) December 9, 2022
This comes after 3 deputies, including Plamondon, were denied entry to the Quebec National Assembly, following their refusal to swear allegiance to King Charles, as required by the constitution.
In live footage, a policeman guarding the closed door of the National Assembly denied entry to elected Party officials from Quebec.
On 20 October last, Some new Quebec MPs declinedwho have won the provincial elections, take the oath of allegiance to King Charles III, as required by the Constitution.
In a televised speech, 11 deputies from the left-wing Quebec Solidere party took an oath of allegiance “to the people of Quebec”, but did not want to take the other oath that bound them to the British monarchy, risking not being allowed to take their seats in the National Assembly.
Canadian constitutional law requires any federally or locally elected representative to take an oath of allegiance to the British monarchy in order to take their seat.
Plamondon had previously spoken of a “conflict of interest” because “two masters cannot be served”, adding that property costs “C$67 million a year” and this section is “a reminder of colonial rule”.
For the first time in the history of the country, the majority of Canadian citizens of Québec, 71%, said in a poll last April that they wanted to get rid of the monarchy, whose role has become honorary.
